MONITORING

DDM server collection hierarchy
DDM probes run on a server and report events to the Domino Domain Monitor database (DDM.NSF) that is on that server. Rather than visit every Domino Domain Monitor database on every server to review the probe results, create a DDM server collection hierarchy and have the data aggregated to a few servers.

Use the DDM server collection hierarchy document to define how data is collected in a domain. You can designate that one server collect all DDM event data or you can define a custom DDM server collection hierarchy consisting of multiple collecting servers and, optionally, multiple server tiers.

You use the Monitoring Configuration database (EVENTS4.NSF) to create and manage the DDM server collection hierarchy. The first time that you click the DDM server collection hierarchy view in the Monitoring Configuration database, a message indicates that no server collection hierarchies exist. You can create a server collection hierarchy, or you can exit the view. To create a DDM server collection hierarchy, specify one or more collection servers. A collection server collects the probe results that are generated when probes are run against monitored databases and servers. To use a DDM server collection hierarchy, you must specify at least one collection server that collects from other servers.

There are many ways to design a DDM server collection hierarchy. For example, you can set it up to represent an existing IBM® Lotus® Domino® server topology, for example, hub and spoke servers. Or, you can set it up to ensure that the administrator receives only information that is pertinent to the servers he or she maintains.

Data roll-up

Each Domino server writes its probe results to a local replica of the DDM database. Each collection server's DDM database contains that server's probe results, and the probe results from every server from which it collects data.

The DDM collection hierarchy provides the DDM reporting rollup capability, allowing you to open DDM on a collection server and see all events for that server and its subordinate servers. Without the DDM collection hierarchy, you must open DDM.NSF on each server on which DDM is running to see events for that server.

DDM data roll-up propagates the probe results up the DDM server collection hierarchy. Data roll-up is accomplished using Domino's selective replication to transport the data. The replication formulas are created automatically when you define your DDM server collection hierarchy. Each selective replication formula is specific to each server in the Domino Domain Monitor replica. When fully populated, the selective replication formula references the collection server and all of its monitored servers. The selective replication formula filters out all documents from servers that are not members of the collecting server's hierarchy.

The collected probe results in the DDM database are replicated when one of these occurs:


You must create a DDM server collection hierarchy to initiate data roll-up.

Caution Review which servers are included in the server collection hierarchy prior to retiring a server from the domain. If you plan to retire a server, remove it from the hierarchy, and then retire the server. Failure to remove the server causes problems with data roll-up after the server is retired.

Example of a DDM server collection hierarchy

Example of a DDM server collection hierarchy

In this example, three collection servers collect from six non-collection servers running DDM.


The information reported exists in the DDM.NSF database on each server that is running DDM probes or collecting DDM information or both, and that contains information about the server it is on and the servers below it in the collection hierarchy. For example, DDM.NSF on CS2 would contain information about itself and servers S1 and S2. To view just the information for CS2 and the servers from which it is collecting, open DDM.NSF on the CS2 server. In this example, opening DDM.NSF on CS1 would reveal DDM event information about this entire domain.

Related topics